my new outter piece is ready for install, all thats left are to paint the needle heads, but i cant get them off, i feel as tho ima break em before i get em off, and id really hate to break it.... i have 2 complete clusters, so i dont tei up my truck so if i do break it its not a doomsday event, but id like to resell it on ebay.... but more importantly, how do i 'pop off' the needle heads?

 

i don't know, i can't help you, but i do have a few questions.

I read somewhere that the bulbs behind the cluster are LED bulbs. Can you confirm that? If they're not LED's, can you find what type of bulbs it use? How hard was it to take the dash apart?

lastly, how much did you get the 04+ clusters off of ebay for?

Thanks!

 

$40 shipped. their an odd bulb... searc on here i posted a ton of pics of the extra cluster

 

i have yet to actually rip my dash apart. im hoping i can con D into helping me with that...

 

ask nicely, bring smokes and at least 2 x 2 liter bottles of Mountain Dew

 

To get the needles off, use a plastic fork, a metal fork, or a golf-ball divot repair tool. Basically anything you can slip behind the "base" of the needle (circular part) and pry upwards with equal pressure on both sides. It will pop right off the small pin that it's pressed onto.

 

yup, i use a fork. works good, and doesnt pry too much on one side or the other.

the wife was really impressed with that trick

 

Dont they make a needle puller tool so when the needle goes back on it will place it correctly so the tach and other guages are reading correctly?

 

No tool exist to do that. Atleast i never found it.


You must index the needles with the key on and pegs pulled out.

Then just put them back in the same place when you need to install them.

 

i never got the needles off
i said ***** it

 

Can you be more detailed on how to ensure the needles go back on in the same position as they came off as to not mess up speed/tach calibration?

 

You should have marked where the needles were before you took them off.

 

I changed my '01 out for the white Sport Trac instrument panel, and kept my odometer.
You have to calibrate the speedometer while the instrument panel is out of the truck. The Ranger speedometers are electronic - no cables.
First, BEFORE you take the old one apart, get a reading on it. Take the panel inside the house where you can work on it.
Take one AAA cell battery and hook it up to the four connections on the back of the speedo - two to the positive pins on top and two to the negative pins on the bottom. I used 2 pair of alligator clips from Radio Shack to connect to the pins. It should read 68-69 mph when the battery is connected. Pull the needle off while it is reading that speed on the old speedo. When you get the new speedometer ready, to install the needle - hook up the AAA cell battery the same way. While it is connected to the AAA battery, press the needle on at exactly the speed which you took it off of the old one.
Mine is perfectly calibrated within 0.5 mph according to the GPS I tested it with afterward.

 

The 04+ have digital odometers so the AAA trick may not work.

The method I used was too pull the pegs. Turn the key on. Then index the needle position.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yKfrfMbdVI

 

i used 2 spoons and pryed up on both sides. but im not sure that will work for 04s. but i would think so

 

dude
- read my post - I have a video lol

 

yeah yeah